After unveiling the plan in January, New York City announced Tuesday the first four communities that will be getting free 2-k seats starting in the fall, as school districts in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx will be getting to participate in the child care program. Notice something mis sing from that list of locations? One borough certainly did. Officials on Staten Island called out Mayor Zohran Mamdani for neglecting to include their borough in the rollout of the city’s 2-K program. “Staten Island was left out in the snow last week, and now, this week our kids have been left out in the cold,” said Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella. “It is just plain wrong that our Staten Island families were left out of the equation. It’s just one more unfortunate reminder that not only are we a forgotten Borough, but, now, even our children are forgotten too.” Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul together announced the “monumental moment of progress” in providing free child care for 2-year-olds, with the following four communities receiving 2,000 free seats in the 2-K program: School District 6 (Manhattan): Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights and Inwood      School District 10 (Bronx): Fordham, Belmont, Norwood, Morris Heights, Van Cortlandt Village and Kingsbridge  School Districts 18 and 23 (Brooklyn): Canarsie, Remsen Village, Brownsville and Ocean Hill  School District 27 (Queens): Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, Woodhaven and Rockaways But for some on Staten Island, it was hard to look at the list of included districts as anything but an intentional snub. “We learned that Staten Island was completely cut out only when the Mayor took the podium to make the announcement,” said Councilman Frank Morano, wo represents Staten Island. “They didn’t even have the decency to tell us beforehand. That adds insult to injury.”  Morano said that leaving out the borough is “unacceptable,” while also criticizing the plan to start a new program while there are other programs that desperately need attention. “Before City Hall rushes to expand into 2-K, the administration should stabilize the programs we already have,” said Morano. “Across the city – including here on Staten Island – many 3-K and Pre-K teachers working in community-based organizations face significant pay disparities and rising costs. Some educators are struggling financially while teaching in city-funded classrooms.”  In response to the complaints, the Mamdani administration told NBC New York in a statement that Staten Island would be added to the 2-K list in 2027. “Staten Island is an important part of our vision for 2-K, and we will continue to work closely with local providers and leaders, and our City partners to build capacity and roll out 2-K in Staten Island neighborhoods next year,” New York City Public Schools said in a statement. A City Hall source said that the first districts selected for 2-K were done so based on economic need, projected demand, access gaps and more. Gov. Hochul has said she is committed to funding the first two years of the city’s free child care program for 2-year-olds, describing it as an expansion of the city’s existing universal pre-K and 3-K programs. Mamdani said he expects the program to cover around 2,000 children this fall and then continue to expand until it becomes a universal program. He said the city will work with home-based providers to implement the plan. Services will begin in Sept. 2026, with rolling enrollment throughout the fall to accommodate children turning two at different points in the year. In the coming days, the city will begin planning efforts with child care centers and family child care providers in these four communities. Additional details on participating providers will be released in the weeks ahead.  “Raising a child takes a village – and it takes a city government willing to step up and tackle the child care crisis head-on,” Mamdani said in a statement.  Hochul, a moderate who is up for reelection this year, has been politically aligned with the city’s new progressive mayor on his plan to offer free childcare in the city, though questions remain on how the program could take shape and what it might cost over the long term. Additionally, Hochul rolled out a sweeping, longer-term proposal to expand access to universal pre-K statewide, with the goal of having the program available throughout New York by the start of the 2028-2029 school year. ...read more read less